Another weekend has passed, another Sunday, day one hundred and something since we were told to hunker down and stay out of church. Here in our neck of the woods, our church is still closed. Privately, we've gotten together with friends for some backyard worship, we've of course done things on our own in our … Continue reading Shuddered Churches, Open Anarchy
There's a reason the enemy doesn't want you to sing, and that's because it glorifies God and it changes you. What you sing is what you reflect on. Singing is meditation. Singing is worship. Songs get "stuck" inside of you. Songs move you in one direction or the other. Worship is warfare. A singing people … Continue reading Rebellious Songs
First we practice sin, then defend it, then boast of it.Thomas Manton Photo courtesy Pinterest Every single day we wake up to a world fueled by emotion, desperate for affirmation, and fragile to a frightening degree. Dull or deaf to the truth, quick to react but slow to understand. There's my happy, peppy take on … Continue reading Wielding and Yielding
And the church just slips through the cracks again. Every week, I wait eagerly for the email from our pastor telling us that doors are finally going to open - its almost July after all, if anyone is keeping track. Each week, we receive another message explaining why we still can't gather... it's either logistically … Continue reading The Urgency of Opening
As I finally sit down to hash out some words, I feel like an oversaturated sponge that has been soaking for too long and needs to be wrung out. At the same time, I'm just as exhausted as everyone else with all the incoming news and updates from the front. It feels like little grenades … Continue reading The Gospel Isn’t Patronizing
"We all suffer from time-confusion. We also suffer from significance-confusion. We know our lives are short, yet we all find this hard to actually believe. We intrinsically know that our lives are significant, yet sinful pride causes us to want to measure our significance, not by God's gracious endowment, but by other people's admiration. We … Continue reading Significance During the Quarantine Olympics
Well, we have collectively flipped our calendars from March to April. I for one, was happy to toss old March into the trash can and be moving on to a new month, one that traditionally brings hope, renewal and happy memories. As I stared at a big, blank April, something annoying and unwanted popped into … Continue reading Wilderness Curriculum
I almost forgot it was Lent. I'm not Catholic, but I have always enjoyed this season leading up to Easter more than any other time of the year. Spring in the air, fun activities with the kids, a good Bible study focusing on the season, all leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday services. … Continue reading The Pope, Laura Ingalls, and Quarantine Blues
“Now is a time to find Jesus, hope, cultivate faith, groan for redemption, wait, and carry light and color into dark. Because there will be a time when you will no longer be standing at the window, searching, feet on the heater grate, heart groaning out of the weight of winter. You will be outside, … Continue reading Spring Will Come
"How are you feeling today?" It's the question I must ask my kids at least five times before they even leave the house. When someone bounces down the stairs with a smile, I assume they are feeling confident. If a door slams, someone is ticked off. We can go from happy to tears in a … Continue reading Where the Wild Feelings Are
